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KCODI

Korean Medicine

The Korean diet pill people search for is a prescription. Here is how it works

The Korean diet pill you may have seen online is usually herbal diet medicine from a Korean medicine clinic, called a hanuiwon. It is not an over-the-counter product. A licensed Korean medicine doctor examines you, asks about your health and prescribes a formula, typically one month at a time, as liquid pouches or pills. The visit takes thirty to sixty minutes. Before you book, check one thing we cannot decide for you: whether your home country's customs rules allow you to bring it in.

Typical price in Seoul

≈ $140 – $330

₩200,000 – ₩450,000 · per month

Stay in Korea
1 day
Procedure time
30–60 min
Anesthesia
None needed
Clinic visits
1 visit

Market estimate, not a quote. Your written quote comes after a free consultation.

  • One visit of 30–60 minutes. Prescribed per month after a consultation, not sold off a shelf.
  • Ask for the full ingredient list in English. Some formulas contain ma-huang (ephedra), which several countries restrict.
  • Whether you can take it home, and whether refills can be shipped, depends on your country's customs rules.
Hands packing sealed herbal medicine pouches into a box next to a stacked pile on the table (illustrative image)

What she does on your clinic day

  1. At the consultation

    Pulse, tongue, body composition and a long list of questions about sleep, digestion and medication. She translates both ways and makes sure your current prescriptions are on the table.

  2. Reading the prescription

    She asks for every herb by name, in English and Latin where possible, and whether the formula contains stimulant herbs. You get it in writing for customs and for your own doctor.

  3. After you start

    Palpitations, insomnia, nausea: if any appear, she relays them to the doctor, who may adjust or stop the formula. She also gives you a straight answer on refills.

Meet the interpreters

Stay in Korea

  1. 0:00

    Check-in and body composition

    Health questionnaire, weight and body composition scan, blood pressure.

  2. 0:15

    Doctor consultation

    History, pulse and examination. The doctor explains the proposed formula, the dose and the side effects to watch for.

  3. 0:40

    Prescription and payment

    You confirm the one-month price and the ingredient list. Pills are often ready the same day. Liquid pouches may be delivered to your hotel the next day.

  4. Week 1

    First check-in by message

    Your interpreter asks how you are tolerating it and passes any concerns to the doctor.

Typical price in Seoul

The figure on this page is for one month of medicine, and the consultation is often included. It moves with the formula, the form (pills or decocted pouches) and the clinic. Multi-month bundles are cheaper per month, but do not buy more than you can legally carry home or safely take without follow-up.

  • You want appetite and weight support under a practitioner's supervision, alongside changes to eating and activity
  • You are curious about Korean medicine and want it explained, ingredient by ingredient
  • You have no heart condition, uncontrolled blood pressure or pregnancy, or you will disclose these so the doctor can judge
  • You are prepared for the answer that export to your country is not possible

Questions patients ask us

Can I bring Korean herbal diet medicine back to my country?
It depends entirely on your country. Some restrict ephedra-containing products or any unlabelled herbal medicine, and liquid pouches add a baggage issue. Check your customs authority's rules before you buy. Your interpreter gets you an English ingredient list and the prescription to carry.
What is in Korean diet medicine?
Formulas vary by clinic and by patient. Many include ma-huang (ephedra), a stimulant herb that suppresses appetite and can raise heart rate and blood pressure. Korean medicine doctors are trained to dose it, but you should know it is there and tell them about any heart or blood pressure problem.
Does it work?
Some people eat less and lose weight while taking it. Results differ widely, and weight can return when you stop. Treat it as support for changes in eating and activity, not as a replacement for them. No clinic can promise you a number.
Who should not take it?
People with heart disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, thyroid problems, anxiety disorders, and anyone pregnant or breastfeeding should be especially cautious. It can also interact with medication. Disclose everything and let the doctor decide. A refusal is a sign of a careful clinic.
Is this the same as Western diet pills prescribed in Korea?
No. Prescription appetite suppressants from a medical clinic are a different category with their own rules and risks. This page covers herbal medicine from a licensed Korean medicine clinic. For pain and posture treatment at the same kind of clinic, see acupuncture and Chuna.

Korean Medicine

See all treatments

Booking direct vs booking with KCODI

Same clinic, same surgeon. What changes is who is on your side of the desk.

InterpreterBooking direct:The clinic's coordinator, if one speaks your languageKCODI:Your own medical interpreter, assigned free
Surgery dayBooking direct:You check in aloneKCODI:She stays from check-in to discharge
QuoteBooking direct:Often verbal, in a chat windowKCODI:Written and itemised before any deposit
Price listBooking direct:Overseas-patient price list at many clinicsKCODI:Partner rate agreed in advance, no foreigner markup
Recovery daysBooking direct:You search hotels and food yourselfKCODI:Hotel, soft food and pharmacy list for your clinic's area
After you fly homeBooking direct:Email the clinic in English and waitKCODI:Message your interpreter, she relays it in Korean

What clinics offer differs. Ask us about the clinic you have in mind and we tell you what applies there.

What you can hold us to

  • Quote first, deposit later

    You never pay a deposit before you hold a written, itemised quote.

  • A name and a face before you fly

    You know who your interpreter is, and which language she speaks, before you board.

  • You pay us nothing

    No booking fee, no interpreter fee, no fee for asking. The clinic pays our coordination fee.

Doing more than one thing on this trip?

Skin treatments usually fit around a surgery consultation, and a checkup takes half a day. Tell us everything on your list and we put it in one schedule, with one interpreter.

Plan my whole trip

Ask first. Decide later.

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